| Description |
This guidebook, by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), explains how to create a task force to reduce regulatory barriers to affordable housing. The guidebook states that regulatory barriers increase housing costs by 10 to 35 percent and can lead to decreased housing construction. HUD has taken several steps to reduce barriers, one of which includes the creation of America’s Affordable Communities Initiative. The initiative was established in 2003 to help address regulatory reform, identify barriers, and assist in the understanding of affordable housing.
According to the guidebook, barriers are defined as a regulatory requirement, payment, or process that impedes development without providing compensation. Regulatory barriers can be adopted as statutes, zoning ordinances, policies, and administrative processes. Consensus for reducing barriers, the guidebook states, can be gained by creating task forces that bring together a broad range of community stakeholders. To establish a task force, the mission must be defined, a resolution passed, task force members selected, city staff assigned to write a report, recommendations implemented, and the task force must insist on results. |
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